We already knew that UK supermarket chain Tesco was planning to offers it Clubcard customers an online conduit for free movies and TV shows, but that initiative is now live. The project was originally being tested in private among Tesco employees, but now it’s open for any Clubcard customer to sign up for, though at this early stage, the content isn’t the most enticing. Users are required to enter their Clubcard membership number to access the content for free. However, as you’ll no doubt know, anyone can get hold off a Tesco Clubcard, so this is really open to anyone, regardless of how frequently they shop at Tesco. That said, I’m not entirely sure Netflix or LoveFilm will be quaking in their boots so far, with the likes of animated Batman/Superman movies, Mazes and Monsters, Cheesecake Casserole, Care Bears and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps seemingly the star attractions so far. That said, it’s free and it is only a trial offering at present. Tesco is a huge company, so there is a lot of scope here for this to develop as a service – whether it can get exclusives and offer really compelling content compared to what’s offered by the VoD industry’s incumbents remains to be seen. Tesco acquired a majority stake in Blinkbox – the UK-based VoD service – way back in 2011, so it was likely only a matter of time before such a service was launched. It follows a similar initiative announced not long after t
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